


Picking Up The Pieces Left Behind

by hibiscushavoc



Series: Gun Expansion AU [3]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Lots of brotherly bonding, and crying, hey Prince? he's not an inkling, its here finally!!!, minor spoilers for Gun Expansion, the comfort and recovery starts now, things are looking up for Prince now everyone!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-07-18 02:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16108670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiscushavoc/pseuds/hibiscushavoc
Summary: Prince had returned to the house after having been missing for nearly 20 years, just showing up in the middle of a storm drenched in rain and terribly dirty and exhausted. However, three days after Prince had come home, and the siblings were alone in the huge house, Emperor had begun noticing that something was wrong with his baby brother.For one, Prince had donned a face mask, and had firmly refused to take it off, even to sleep. For another, Prince had become extremely reclusive.Emperor was honestly at a loss for what to do. Emotions were never his strong suit, and Prince wasn’t exactly being open with him enough for the older inkling to glean what the issue was. Of course, it was something to do with where his brother had disappeared to for 20 years, but Prince has also refused to even discuss where he had been for so long.So yes, Emperor knew something was very, very wrong with Prince. What infuriated him was that he had no idea how to address or solve the problem.And so Emperor did what he does best: very bluntly charge into his problems and hope for the best.





	1. Home at Long Last

**Author's Note:**

> If you have arachnophobia/entomophobia please be alert when reading!!  
> Also, despite having been missing for 20 years, Prince and Emperor are roughly 25 in body and mind due to Gun Expansion plot things. So yeah, some minor spoilers!

Emperor rolled on his side with a small groan, rubbing his eyes blearily as he reached for his shellphone. 

3:26 AM. Why was he awake? The inkling wearily sat up, rubbing his temples as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

His two options were to go back to bed and hope he could fall asleep before his alarm was set to go off in four and a half hours, or… actually, he didn’t know what his other option was. Fuck, he was tired.

Suddenly, Emperor was startled out of his thoughts by a clamour downstairs. The only other person in the house was Prince, but he had taken to sleeping in. Either it was Prince up and doing… something, or someone had broken into the house. While he doubted it was the latter option what with all the security measures installed, Emperor probably needed to check it out just in case. With a grunt the man pushed himself out of bed, slipping on a pair of white slippers before opening the door and heading down the stairwell.

The noise was definitely coming from the kitchen. A dim light was on in the room from what he could see, and it sounded like someone was rummaging around in the fridge. Emperor really hoped it wasn’t a robber. He really wasn’t prepared to pull out any weapons, he was just too damn tired. Maybe if he just gave them some food they would leave…

As soon as Emperor entered the kitchen, he was faced with a massive, partially-transparent insect rummaging through the fridge. Its body was clear save for a brain, ten beady eyes, and a long organ running along the length of its body to a sac in its abdomen. The noise of the inkling’s footsteps wasn’t enough to alert the creature to his presence, and it swung its large head as it surveyed the contents of the appliance. With a sickening noise, it parted its jaws and a long, thin tube emerged that stabbed violently into a carton of milk. The insect’s body convulsed as it noisily drank the entire contents of the container, but it seemed unsatisfied.

Emperor took a deep breath through his nose, and the creature’s head suddenly snapped to face him. He exhaled sharply, wearily rubbing his temples.

“Good morning, Prince.”

\--

_ One week earlier… _

 

Prince had returned to the house after having been missing for nearly 20 years, just showing up in the middle of a storm drenched in rain and terribly dirty and exhausted. At the time, Eging Jr. and N-Pacer had been visiting for their weekly movie night Emperor held at his house, before they were interrupted by weak knocks on the door and the inkling was crushed by hugs from his team as they all sobbed (yes, even Emperor).

However, three days after Prince had come home, and the siblings were alone in the huge house, Emperor had begun noticing that something was wrong with his baby brother.

For one, Prince had donned a face mask, and had firmly refused to take it off, even to sleep. Another thing was that he was refusing to eat even his old favorite foods. He also would not remove the mask to eat or drink anything.

For another, Prince had become extremely reclusive. He hated going outside, especially during the day. He had outright refused to go out and play turf war with the rest of the team, instead locking himself in his room and not emerging for hours until he needed food.

Emperor was honestly at a loss for what to do. Emotions were never his strong suit, and Prince wasn’t exactly being open with him enough for the older inkling to glean what the issue was. Of course, it was something to do with where his brother had disappeared to for 20 years, but Prince has also refused to even discuss where he had been for so long.

So yes, Emperor knew something was very, very wrong with Prince. What infuriated him was that he had no idea how to address or solve the problem.

And so Emperor did what he does best: very bluntly charge into his problems and hope for the best.

He found Prince curled up on the couch, a far off look in his eyes as he sat wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, and the man sat down next to him.

“Hey,” Emperor began gently, wondering if his brother would better appreciate being given space or a hug. He chose to give Prince space.

“Hey,” Prince echoed, tired eyes trained on his sibling with startling intensity. Emperor coughed slightly, averting his eyes under the fierce gaze.

“I, uh, wanted to talk about something. If that’s fine with you, that is,” The older inkling tried to speak gently, worried about startling the other away from conversation.

Prince stared for a moment more before also looking away, the downtrodden atmosphere practically palpable in the room. “Yeah,” He answered apathetically, as if unsure of how else to respond.

“Well… you’re not… exactly doing so well, Prince,” Emperor started, trying his best to be kind.  _ Remember what Goggles taught you. _ “You’re always so… Well… It’s like you’re avoiding seeing anyone. Even me.”

“I guess,” Prince said, glancing at his older brother.

“You don’t even want to go outside.”

“I’m tired.”

“You’ve been sleeping in for the past three days.”

“Not everyone likes getting up at the crack of dawn,” Prince spat bitterly, before retreating slightly into his cocoon as if ashamed at the harshness of his words. Emperor furrowed his brows in worry, pausing in shock. He couldn’t ever remember having seen his brother so… defensive before.

“Sorry. If I woke you up, I mean. I’ve been trying to let you sleep. You look really tired,” Emperor stumbled over his words, pressing his hands together awkwardly.

“Sorry, I… Yeah. Yeah, I’m just tired,” Prince said, the feeling of gloom stagnant in the air around him.

“But this is more than that,” The older brother coaxed gently. “Right?”

“...Yeah,” Prince sighed unhappily. “Yeah, it’s more than that.”

“You can talk to me about it.”

“Not really.”

“I won’t judge you, or anything. I just want to help.”

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Prince hissed, his voice nearly rattling as if hollow.

“Obviously you aren’t,” Emperor said, biting down the urge to become heated. He needed to stay calm and give Prince something to latch onto, even if he blew up. Which, granted by how the conversation was turning, the inkling suspected was inevitable.

“I will be, if you just let me sleep!” Prince snapped, facing his brother with blazing eyes.

“I have been,” Emperor offered calmly. Prince just sneered, stubbornly wrapping the blankets closer around himself.

“What does it matter, anyways? It’s only been a few days. I’ve been gone for 20 years,” The younger inkling said bitterly.

“And I can still tell something’s weighing on you. You still haven’t even told me where you’ve been,” Emperor said, trying to keep hurt from leaking into his voice. If he was being honest, he wanted to spearhead all of his problems and worries, but he couldn’t do that. Prince was his brother, not a pawn for him bend enough to tell him the answers he wanted to hear. Emperor never wanted to own a pawn ever again. Not after he realized the damage his actions were causing.

Prince looked like he was going to snap something, but he quickly bit down his response and instead shuddered, pulling the blankets over his head like a hood. Instead, he opted for a much quieter answer.

“It’s not something I know how to explain,” He started, before immediately looking like he regretted the statement. “It’s just… things are complicated. It’s not really worth your time.”

“You’re worth my time, Prince,” Emperor said, trying his best to ignore the pang of emotion stirring in his heart. He couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling but… it wasn’t pleasant. He wanted it to go away. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted his happy little brother back, who taught him how to enjoy life again.

“...I’m sorry,” Prince said, his voice cracking as he raised a hand to his face, and all of a sudden Emperor realized the younger inkling was crying.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” The older inkling subtly scooted closer, his fingers twitching as he had the compulsion to do  _ something _ . He couldn’t just let Prince suffer alone.

“There is! I’m just a… I’m a jerk!” Prince suddenly cried, furiously wiping tears from his eyes as if he was unwilling to let them fall. “You’re trying your best for me, and I’m just… I’m…  _ ugh _ !” He growled, balling his hands into fists and slamming them down onto the couch. The soft surface absorbed the force, only serving to make Prince madder.

“Prince-” Emperor started, but was quickly cut off.

“I’m just pretending that I can live like… like  _ this _ , and that everything will be okay but I can’t do this!” The younger brother sobbed desperately, his fingers scrambling for purchase at the couch, digging in his nails hard to try and ground himself. “I can’t keep pretending! I feel like dying, acting like nothing is wrong and that things will get better if I just give it time! I’m not going to get better!” He nearly shrieked, doubling over with a harsh choked noise as tears streamed down his face.

“Prince, I… You need to talk to me. You need to tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if I’m in the dark,” Emperor offered, scooting closer and moving a hand to reach out and rub at Prince’s back soothingly, but he was stopped as his sibling suddenly turned his whole body to face Emperor, sniffling miserably as he wiped tears away from burning eyes.

“You want to know what’s going on? You  _ really _ want to know?” Prince’s words were like a challenge. Like he was  _ daring _ Emperor to come closer.

Emperor didn’t like that. But then again, he didn’t like most things. And he was going to have to drink the bitter medicine to get better and make any progress in reforging his relationship with his brother.

“Of course, I just said that,” He reiterated, nodding solemnly. Prince looked taken aback, and his eyes darted around as if looking for… exit routes? Distractions? Emperor couldn’t tell, but it was a bit off-putting.

“Promise me something,” The young man said after a moment.

“Anything.” Why did he say that? He hated promises. But he would promise for Prince.

“Please… please don’t scream. Don’t freak out,” Prince sniffled, trying to stop tears from forming in his eyes as he threatened to break out into sobs again.

“I… I won’t,” Emperor promised, an uneasy feeling creeping into his skin. “What do you mean? What are you going to do?”

“I need to… show you something.” Prince said, a shudder running through his body as he reached his hands up to the mask on his face.

If someone had told Emperor that he was going to face something so indescribably shocking he would shut down completely, he wouldn’t have believed them. But, as it turns out, life wasn’t exactly feeling kind enough to have given him warning nor the mental cognition to process the sight he was faced with.

As Prince slowly began to peel the mask off his face, Emperor didn’t know what the hell he could even  _ remotely _ describe the things poking out of Prince’s mouth as. In fact, his brain essentially short-circuited and he just stared in shock. As hard as he tried to rationalize the sight he was seeing, he just… couldn’t. Eging Jr. always said that he was terrible with dealing with shock, and Emperor hated to admit it, but he was right.

All of a sudden, Prince’s eyes brimmed with tears, and he weakly uncurled his legs and turned as if to get up, miserably wiping his eyes with a halfhearted mumble of something akin to “I’m sorry”. With a sharp stab of panic, Emperor threw his body forward and grabbed Prince in his arms. Did he know why he did this? Did he know what force compelled him to grab Prince in a hug and keep him from leaving? This isn’t a trick question: the answer is no.

“No, no, don’t go,” Emperor said quickly, pulling Prince closer to avoid having him flail to get up. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to think I’m upset or freaked out. I just can’t exactly… understand what I’m seeing. What  _ are _ those?”

Prince stared at his brother, the sharp foreign objects recoiling slightly almost as if in shock before the young man buried his face in his brother’s chest and wailed. He cried harshly, clinging for dear life as he emitted a horrible, nasty gurgling sob. He tried to stutter out something coherent, but couldn’t and thus gave up and continued to cry in Emperor’s arms.

“Shhh, shhh, okay, come on, calm down, Prince…” Emperor tried his best to soothe the distressed… well, he supposed he couldn’t exactly call his brother an inkling anymore, could he? “It’s okay. You’re okay. I don’t really know what’s going on, or what’s happened to you, but I’m here with you. You aren’t alone. Okay? I’m here with you.”

Prince sobbed for a long time until he quieted down into weak hiccups, still clinging tightly to Emperor’s shirt. He rubbed soothing circles into his younger brother’s back, repeating his promise that Prince wasn’t alone. He didn’t want Prince to have to deal with… whatever this was on his own.

“I’m… You… you’re not… you aren’t- hic!- you aren’t afraid of me?” The smaller man sniffled, wiping his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

“No, should I be?” Emperor responded simply, blinking as if not getting part of the situation’s ramifications.

“N- No, of course not!” Prince stuttered, tightening his grip on the shirt. “I’m not dangerous anymore!”

“Anymore?” Emperor gently smoothed down his brother’s tentacles, still holding him close. His tone was inquisitive, but not afraid. He just wanted to know what was going on.

“I… I did a lot of bad things, while I was in the hive. I didn’t- I didn’t know any better. She brainwashed us all, when we were t- taken. I couldn’t even remember my own name. All I knew how to do was follow orders. And… feed,” Prince admitted quietly, face full of despair and misery. “I killed people, brother. I was hungry and- and this body is built to kill and feed on inkling and octolings…”

Emperor didn’t exactly know how to respond to that. So he didn’t.

“And these mandibles constantly try to poke out and they get in the way, so I have to wear this stupid mask. I can’t eat anything solid anymore, because I was made to liquify and consume organs. Do you know how depressing that is? That you can only drink things?” Prince lamented, before opening his mouth and revealing a long, thin tube that slid out from where his tongue should have been. Combined with the mandibles and the sharp serrated and sectioned beak (oh, Emperor just noticed that), it was easy to see that he was designed in order to be able to forcibly grab onto prey and drain them of their life quickly and efficiently. Which was a scary thing to think about. But Emperor trusted his little brother. Prince would never willingly let himself hurt anyone. And now that he was in control, Emperor knew that Prince would also never let himself live it down, which was both good and bad for a number of reasons.

“Well, it explains why you haven’t been eating. I’m sorry that I don’t… I can’t empathise with you, but I’ll do whatever I can to make it easier on you, alright? We have a blender, you know. We can use that,” The inkling offered, tone gentle. “It won’t be the same, of course, but it’s better than just drinking water and soda and trying to live off the sugar in it.”

“Thank you,” Prince sniffed, trying his best to smile. It was a bit lopsided, what with the mandibles and all, but Emperor could see a flash of the old Prince in it. The happy Prince, who tried a little too hard sometimes, but who worked for his happiness. That was the little brother that Emperor remembered. And despite it all, despite all that he’d endured, it was still the same Prince he knew. And that was enough to make Emperor cry again.

“Yeah,” He said smartly as he tried not to cry but failed, wrapping his arms around his little brother. “Y- yeah, of course.”

“Brother, you’re crying,” Prince remarked with a soft laugh as the tears he was holding back also began to fall. “This makes the second time I’ve seen you cry.”

“I shed more than I can c-count when you first disappeared,” Emperor admitted quietly, his tears staining the shoulder of Prince’s shirt. “I thought…”

“Thought what?” The insectoid-inkling asked quietly, unsure of how to talk to his brother when he was crying.

“I thought you left because of me. That you had finally had en- enough of me. Th- that I took things too far, or that I fussed at you one too many times, or that…” The man trailed off, quietly burying his face so he wouldn’t have to meet his brother’s eyes.

“No, no, no, that’s not it, I never would have left if I had the choice,” Prince said, looking down. “I was proud of you. For trying to change. And you were really trying hard, and all of us could see it. I didn’t want to leave you alone when you needed our support.”

“I’m sorry,” Emperor laughed bitterly, moving to wipe his eyes. “I’m sorry, that- that was stupid of me to think.”

“It’s not stupid! You were worried about a lot of things and had a lot of stress on you and I just… I disappeared without a trace,” Prince said sadly. “I’m sorry for worrying you. And the others.”

“It wasn’t your fault. None of this was your fault, so don’t think for a second that it was,” Emperor said, taking the man by the shoulders suddenly. “You didn’t do this to yourself. You were  _ kidnapped _ , for god’s sake! You can’t blame yourself for that.”

“Sorry, I-” Prince stopped himself mid-apology, shaking his head before starting again. “You’re right. I can’t blame myself for what happened. I didn’t have any say in the matter.”

“You-” Emperor started but was cut off but a loud crash from the front door opening. Standing in the frame was Eging Jr. who was holding a box of what looked like popsicles, followed closely by N-Pacer who wore a scowl as if racing after him to try and stop him.

“Hey, hey, guys, I brought-” Eging Jr. started cheerfully, before stopping abruptly and staring at the sight before him. Emperor was holding Prince in his lap in the dark surrounded by blankets, both of them looked like they had been crying heavily, and Prince had mandibles protruding from his mouth. In all, probably the last thing he had expected to see.

N-Pacer finally caught up with the other inkling, took one look at the scene displayed before her, and roughly booted Eging Jr. out of the house. She made direct eye contact with the brothers, nodded solemnly, and gently closed the door. A minute later, Emperor’s phone vibrated in his pocket as he got a text.

The two exchanged a look, having no idea what to even say before Emperor opened his text messages and found a message from N-Pacer.

 

Team Mom> Sending all my support. Call me later. Tell me what’s going on. I’ll explain things to Eging in a way he can understand. God knows he won’t otherwise.

 

Emperor held a hand over his mouth with a laugh, and Prince echoed with a more watery and broken up giggle, as if trying not to break into tears again.

“She’s the same as ever, huh?” Prince remarked, leaning his head weakly against Emperor’s chest as he stared at the shellphone.

“She’s missed you a lot. Eging, too,” Emperor responded, scrolling through his history. “You’ve been ignoring them for the past few days and my phone has been blowing up with worried texts from N-Pacer and like a hundred of those memes with a ton of hearts on them from Eging and him asking me to show them to you.”

“Are you serious?” Prince laughed softly, a small smile returning to his face.

“Deadly. Take a look for yourself,” Emperor snorted, handing the phone to his brother, who snickered at the sheer volume of memes cluttering their group chat.

“I need a new phone so I can get in on this,” Prince remarked, handing Emperor back the phone. “There’s a lot I’ve missed in 20 years.”

“You have all the time in the world to catch up and people here to help you,” The inkling smiled softly, ruffling his brother’s tentacles and taking pride in the disgruntled huff that came from Prince’s mouth as he clicked his mandibles together in mock irritation.

“I know I have time, but that also means that I really don’t want to try to catch up today. I feel like an emotional roller coaster socked me in the gut,” Prince said, leaning back slightly with an exhausted sigh.

“That is perfectly warranted and I also feel like doing nothing but just sitting at home and ignoring the world for a day,” Emperor hummed softly, smirking at the indignant noise his brother made as he sat up abruptly.

“Emperor taking a day off?! Who are you, and where’s my brother?!” Prince squawked in joking alarm, playfully pushing a hand into Emperor’s chest in an attempt to squirm away and out of his arms.

“I’m an alien who’s here to tell you that we are going to take the day off. Workaholic Emperor can come back tomorrow. For now, this is much more important,” The man smiled, and felt the final bit of tension and worry in his heart melt away as Prince smiled back.

“Alright, Mr. Alien, then I choose that we are going to watch movies all night. And  _ I _ get to choose the movies,” Prince said, giggling as his brother groaned aloud.

“Please don’t put on that one action movie that’s three hours long…” Emperor leaned his head back against the couch as he looked up at the ceiling and threw his arms out dramatically. “It’ll kill me. You’re planning on that one, aren’t you? You’re going to kill your brother.”

“Noooo, don’t die!” Prince laughed and clacked his mandibles together as he hopped off Emperor’s lap, placed a hand on his forehead, and made a pose to rival the dramatic one his brother made. “I will die if you do! Alas, what a tragedy!”

Emperor snorted loudly which caused Prince to collapse in a fit of laughter until tears welled in his eyes from laughing so hard, which was a welcome reprieve from all the sad tears they’d both shed before.

Eventually Prince sat back down, letting out a wheezing laugh as he wiped his eyes. Emperor also took a moment to breathe, eyes drifting over to the insectoid features on his brother’s face. It was still a bit odd to look at, but the inkling found it easy to get used to the sight. It was still his brother, and he still looked like himself, just with a few additions. Which, he supposed was true.

Prince noticed his brother staring and averted his eyes awkwardly before clenching his fists tightly and then releasing them with a sigh. He turned towards Emperor, fidgeting nervously.

“Hey, um, Emp?” Prince asked, keeping his eyes on the floor. “Before we put on a movie, I, uh, have something else I have to show you…”

“Yeah? What is it?” Emperor asked, blinking.

“I’m… I’m uh, not an inkling,” Prince said awkwardly, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

“Yeah? Obviously? I got that impression from the mandibles,” Emperor said, furrowing his brows and laughing softly. “Is there something else besides those and that proboscis?”

“You… yeah, you could say that,” Prince said, sucking air through his beak awkwardly.

“Okay, uh, what is it?”

“I’m trying to figure out how to explain it to you, hold on…”

“Okay, take your time.”

“Um…”

“Is it, uh… is it something like you can walk on walls or something?”

“Well, yeah, I can do that, but it’s something different.”

“That’s... actually pretty interesting.”

“Oh, uhm, thank you… But still, I just, uh, don’t really know how to word this.”

“Can you show me, then?”

“Show you?!”

“Is there something wrong with that? Or, wait, is it something you can’t show?”

“No, it is something I  _ could _ show you, but I don’t really know how you would react…”

“You didn’t know how I would react to you taking off the mask, either.”

“...That is a good point…”

“So?” Emperor asked, offering his best reassuring smile. “I promise, I’m not going to hate you or be afraid of you or anything. You’re still you.”

“Okay…” Prince said nervously, standing up and turning to face his brother. “You promise? You really,  _ really _ promise you won’t hate me?”

“Prince, I just said that,” The inkling repeated, keeping his tone gentle to avoid making Prince any more nervous than he already looked.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m just… I can’t feel my skin,” Prince stated, hands on his arms as he shuddered weakly. “I’m really anxious. I’m about to show you something that I haven’t done since I left the hive…”

“It’s going to be okay. I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not going to ever be,” Emperor nodded, hands clasped together in his lap.

“Alright… here goes nothing…” Prince breathed in nervously, mumbling under his breath, “Or everything…”

Prince’s body abruptly collapsed in on itself. It was like when an inkling switches to their squid form, but instead of melting into a puddle of inky mass, he became a shifting, iridescent blob that suddenly almost tripled in size. A long neck emerged from the mass, shaking its massive head as if trying to orient itself as its gel-like body reassembled into a stable shape. Four spindly legs shot out and it pushed itself up as the remainder of the fluid shaped into a bulging abdomen at the end of the creature’s body. Ten beady eyes trained themselves on Emperor as the massive insectoid towered over the inkling.

“I… what?” Emperor really couldn’t come up with anything else to say. “I’m… Prince, is that you?”

“Um… yes…” The creature trailed off in a gurgling voice like a recording of recording feedback. “This- This is my real body… This is how I really look...”

“Oh,” Emperor said cleverly, staring up at what was supposed to be his  _ little _ brother. “You’re really, uh, tall.”

“I- I’m sorry, I’m probably making you uncomfortable…” Prince made a small noise, backing up awkwardly. “I know this form is ugly. I look disgusting…”

“No, not at all,” Emperor stood up, taking a step forward which made Prince take a step back in alarm. The inkling paused, but still reached a hand out towards his brother cautiously.

“What? You- Don’t lie to me!” Prince exclaimed, tense and looking almost fearful, which nearly broke Emperor’s heart. “I’m a nasty bug! A spiderling! I’m gross! You can see my organs!”

“That’s not disgusting, or unsightly,” Emperor said, cautiously taking another step forward. He breathed out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in when Prince stayed still and allowed him to approach. “That’s just how you look. Sure, it might take me some time to get used to it, but it doesn’t scare me or anything. You might look different, but you’re still Prince.”

“You can’t really think I’m not ugly,” Prince stated, watching his brother hesitantly as he wondered what Emperor was going to do. “Even if you aren’t scared, there’s… There’s no way…”

“It startled me a bit, but you actually look rather striking. Centipedes and beetles have their charms, as do you,” Emperor smiled gently, reaching a hand up to Prince’s head, but pausing as if asking for permission to touch. “The iridescence especially is actually beautiful.”

Prince made a choked up noise, leaned his head into Emperor’s hand, closed his eyes, and murmured a small “thank you”. Emperor wrapped his arms around his brother’s head, idly musing that the night had taken a much different turn than he had expected it to. But he was thankful for it, and was glad that Prince had allowed himself to open up about his problems.

Eventually he let Prince go to sit back down, and pull his legs up onto the couch. Prince hesitated, before his body started to reform again.

“You don’t have to change back if you don’t want to,” Emperor offered.

“I don’t like this form,” Prince stated simply, voice booming slightly from the fluid before reshaping back into his familiar inkling form. He flopped down on the couch next to Emperor, leaning against his shoulder tiredly.

“Well, don’t feel like you have to hide it from me,” The older brother said, fishing around blindly on the side table for the TV remote. “Alright?”

“Alright,” Prince said quietly, grabbing at the blankets and pulling them over himself and offering one to Emperor. “Hey, Emp?”

“Yeah?” Emperor settled in on the couch and spread the blanket over his legs, pulling Prince close as he turned on his favorite long action movie.

“Thank you,” Prince mumbled softly as the bright explosions on TV lit up a ghost of a smile on his face.

“Of course. I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too.”

\--

Emperor groaned softly as he slowly returned to wakefulness, hissing as he squeezed his eyes shut after a ray of light filtered from the window down onto his sensitive eyes. His back hurt like a motherfucker, and he slowly realized he wasn’t in his bed from the texture of the cushions surrounding him. He had been sleeping in a weird curled up position, explaining the strain on his back.

“Fuck, what time is it…?” He reached around blindly for his phone, keeping a hand over his eyes to keep the light from blinding him again. The more Emperor moved, the more he was aware that there was something weighing down on him. Whatever it was, it was laying across his legs and was keeping him from moving.

“What…?” The inkling managed to squirm slightly out from under the weight enough that the light was no longer in his eyes, and he squinted to see the room around him.

There was a massive insectoid creature’s head on Emperor’s lap, and at first he started with alarm and nearly pushed it away before remembering that the strange form belonged to his brother.

_ Ah, yes, that’s right. We fell asleep watching movies last night. I guess he can’t maintain inkling form when he’s asleep _ , Emperor thought with a smile on his face.  _ Explains why he kept locking the door to his room. I wonder if the bed is too small for him? I’ll have to ask later. _

He squirmed out from under Prince, taking special care to avoid the sharp proboscis that was dangerously close to stabbing into his thigh through the blanket before he tumbled onto the floor with an undignified huff. Emperor dusted himself off, taking a moment to throw a blanket over Prince and leave a note to explain he was out of the house. He then whipped out his phone and slipped on his shoes without any socks, headed for the door.

 

Eminence> @OG.Eggman

Eminence> Eging, wake up.

OG.Eggman> hhh whadda fuk its like 8am

OG.Eggman> its the weekennnnnnnnd

Eminence> Get your shoes on, I need you to pick me up.

OG.Eggman> the fukc why

OG.Eggman> sHIT

OG.Eggman> FUCK I CANT FIND MY CONRACTSSS

Eminence> For the love of god, please don’t drive without your contacts on.

Eminence> Also, my car is in the shop, if you remember. The transmission was acting up.

OG.Eggman> you think I know what that means????

Eminence> The car is broken.

OG.Eggman> gotcha

OG.Eggman> so liek

OG.Eggman> why your bro a bug

OG.Eggman> explain in words I can understand pls

Eminence> …

Eminence> @Team Mom

Eminence> Please help me.

Team Mom> You’re lucky that I just got out of fencing practice

Eminence> At 8 AM?

Team Mom> Competition coming up

Eminence> Ah.

Team Mom> So, would you mind explaining what’s going on

Eminence> Eging, do you mind picking up N-Pacer too? It’d be easier to meet up in person to talk.

OG.Eggman> can do

OG.Eggman> fuck man ur paying for making me wak eup early on weekend

Eminence> Would coffee suffice for payment? :)

OG.Eggman> hhhhhhhhhhh

OG.Eggman> ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffine

OG.Eggman> you know the way to my heart

OG.Eggman> aka lots of caramel n the works

Team Mom> You owe me 15 shots of espresso

Eminence> I’m pretty sure that will kill you…

Team Mom> I could not care less at the moment

OG.Eggman> aight fuckers be there in like 10

Eminence> See you soon!


	2. Making Up For Lost Time

Emperor realized he looked like a damn mess just as soon as Eging Jr.’s convertible sped into his driveway. His tentacles were a mess, and he was in a t-shirt that said “ _ I’d prefer not to _ ”, baggy sweats, and shoes without socks. He got in the back, grunting slightly in greeting to his teammates. N-Pacer cocked a brow at him, but said nothing.

“I realize I look like I just woke up and that’s because I did,” Emperor stated simply.

“Want my jacket?” N-Pacer was already shedding a track jacket, reaching around to hand it to Emperor who thanked her.

At least they all looked more or less a mess. Eging definitely got dressed while half asleep considering he was just wearing a hoodie and slacks, and N-Pacer was in gym clothes and looked like she had just run a mile (maybe she had? Emperor had no idea what all athletic things N-Pacer did).

“Y’all up for just heading for the usual place?” Eging didn’t wait for an answer as he pulled out, but he was met with small murmurs of approval.

“Let’s wait until we get there to talk because quite frankly I could use the quiet time,” N-Pacer said as she propped an elbow on the side of the car and leaned her head against her hand.

“Yeah, okay, gotcha miss knight,” Eging laughed and sped off, ignoring Emperor’s plea for him to obey basic speeding laws.

The “usual place” was a small cafe that the whole team had frequented ever since they were young, since it was close enough to Inkopolis Square for them to walk there after practice but hidden enough for them to not be bothered. They went there through the good and bad times, and the owner of the shop, a kindly elderly jellyfish, had offered them comfort through the 20 years Prince had been missing. This would be the first time that they would be back since Prince had returned, although he wasn’t with them today. Which was probably for the best, because Emperor didn’t know if Prince could handle a jellyfish hug when he was still nervous about being touched.

The trio sat at a table, waving towards the inkling working the counter who got to work on their usual drinks. Emperor laid his head on the table wearily, and Eging laughed.

“C’mon, Emp man. Gotta talk,” Eging grinned, taking glee in seeing the normally composed Emperor half awake and unwilling to deal with the morning.

“Do I have to?” He mumbled into the table, tracing a pattern with his finger.

“You owe us an explanation, so yes,” N-Pacer said, answering a text on her phone before putting it in her pocket. Emperor groaned aloud.

“I don’t know how to start. Someone give me somewhere to start,” The leader of the team huffed, raising his head and leaning back against his chair.

“Well, what the fuck was that shit in Prince’s mouth? Looks like weird stuff on a bug or something,” Eging said, before immediately becoming distracted by his drink being served by the employee. “Oh fuck yeah, caramel!”

“Really good question, Eging,” N-Pacer said with a hint of amusement in her voice as she sipped her bubble tea.

“Well, those are mandibles. And he’s not exactly an inkling anymore,” Emperor stated, stirring his coffee. “He’s an actual bug. That can shapeshift.”

“What the fuck?” Eging almost choked on his frappe, sputtering and nearly spewing whipped cream. “What? He’s a  _ what _ now?”

“A giant bug. Like, nearly triple my size,” Emperor said calmly, taking a sip before deciding the coffee was too bitter and dumping in more cream. “It’s very odd-looking, but it’s still Prince. He’s still the same Prince we all know. Just… now he’s a massive shapeshifting insect.”

“You’re taking this in stride,” N-Pacer remarked, her usual cool facade broken as she worriedly tapped her fingers on the table. “If it weren’t for what I saw, I’d have to assume you were joking with me.”

“It was a shock to me too,” The team leader huffed as he impatiently drank his coffee, burning his mouth in the process. “I’ve just had a whole night to rationalize it. Also, I was there. You two didn’t see just how  _ hurt _ he is. He looked like he wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. And when I told him that I wasn’t afraid of him, he cried really,  _ really _ hard.”

“So, okay, let me get this straight. Prince, sweet little Prince, he’s a bug?” Eging said seriously, leaning forward. It took all of Emperor’s self control not to laugh at how solemnly he asked the question.

“That’s right, yeah,” Emperor reiterated with a small snort. “Sorry, it’s just really funny seeing you so serious.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Eging pouted.

“So how did it happen?” N-Pacer interjected, glancing between the two.

“I know he got kidnapped and turned into one against his will. He didn’t say more than that and if I’m being honest, I don’t think I want to know all the details,” Emperor mumbled, stealing a sip of Eging’s drink to soothe his burnt tongue. “It sounded like it was a painful process. His entire biological structure was remade, I think…”

“Has he been suffering for 20 years? Is he still in pain?” Eging asked, grip tight on his cup.

“He’s been suffering for a different reason. Prince was brainwashed and forced into killing inklings and octolings to survive. Now that he’s…  _ himself _ again, he’s pained by all those memories he made while he was a mindless drone,” Emperor said quietly. “He thinks he’s ugly. And he’s worried everyone will be scared of him if they know the truth. That’s why he hasn’t been talking to us.”

“Shit…” Eging cursed under his breath, and N-Pacer averted her eyes to the floor.

“He’s still Prince, and Prince wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he’s also now got the body of a creature designed to kill, and it shows. He’s struggling to come back to the life he left behind,” Emperor drank the rest of his coffee in one go, setting the cup down and sighing. “If I’m being honest, I don’t know how to help him. And there’s still so much I don’t know, and it’s really bothering me.”

“God, this shit is fucked and kind of scary, but Prince is my bro. And you are too, so I’ve got y’all’s backs,” Eging smiled reassuringly, giving a thumbs up.

“Do you really need to ask me if you have my support?” N-Pacer joked slightly with a small smile, crossing her legs.

“Thanks, you two,” Emperor breathed out a sigh of relief. “For believing me, and for also not freaking out.”

“Oh, no, I’m still freaked out! Bugs are fuckin’ freaky! But you and Prince are more important than me being a lil’ squeamish,” Eging stressed, laughing awkwardly.

“Would seeing him up close make you feel better?” Emperor asked, playing with his coffee stirrer idly.

“I mean yeah, probably? If he’s cool with it. I know he like, just poured his whole ass heart out to you,” Eging joked, trying to alleviate the nervous feeling that creeped up under his skin. “Like, I still love Prince, but the idea of seeing a giant bug that can kill me is kind of well…  _ scary _ . Even if I know Prince wouldn’t hurt a fly, it’s hard to override what I’m afraid of.”

“I understand. Honestly, if you were to just tell him how you’re feeling truthfully, I think he would appreciate it more,” Emperor said. “He appreciated that I was honest about my feelings with him.I think it would be better for him to know that you feel afraid, but not because of him  _ specifically _ . I think what he’s worried about is being seen as some sort of monster, when he’s not.”

“I could have told you that,” Eging snorted, setting his empty cup to the side. “But yeah, I don’t want to come in if he’s still… y’know…” He gestured incoherently with his hands.

“What, if he’s still wanting to be alone?” N-Pacer asked, using her straw to poke at a stray tapioca bead.

“Yes! Thank you, Pacer, you always know what I mean,” Eging exclaimed. “I just don’t wanna make him uncomfortable. I’m stupid and I might like, cuss or some shit in surprise or something and I don’t wanna like upset him more if he’s already having a bad day.”

“He’s probably still asleep, but we had a good night,” Emperor said with a small smile. “We passed out at some point during one of his action movies he loves so much.”

“So, should we all head back to your place?” N-Pacer spoke up, gathering everyone’s empty cups and trash in prep to leave.

“Yes, unless anyone has any objections?” Emperor stood up and the others followed.

“Nah, I’m good. Let’s go check in with him,” Eging stretched lazily, following behind N-Pacer as they all waved to the owner and piled into the convertible.

\--

Prince lazily peeked open his eyes as he slowly woke up, shuffling partially under the blankets on top of him as he grumbled to himself. It took a good 20 minutes for Prince to even be willing to peek his head out from under his wonderful cocoon of warmth and he sleepily shuffled the paper on the side table closer so he could read it.

“ _ Going out with N-Pacer and Eging. Wanted to let you sleep. Here’s my number if you need anything, you know where the home phone is. Be back soon. -Emp _ ”

The spiderling hummed softly to himself, shaking the blankets off as he tumbled to the floor sleepily. He forced himself into his inkling facade, idly thinking to himself that the floor was pretty comfortable and that maybe he should just lay there.

A few minutes later Prince finally forced himself to his feet as he felt his body angrily demand sustenance, and he shuffled in a half-awake stupor to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and lazily grabbed a carton of orange juice, musing that it had been years since he’d been able to just get something to eat or drink and not have to go out and hunt or try and scavenge for something. He popped the top off the carton and parted his jaws, sticking his proboscis into the carton. When he was alone, he didn’t have to pretend that he wasn’t starving and also he didn't have to go through the unnecessary trouble of putting liquids into his mouth then having to suck it through his proboscis.

Prince had nearly drank half the carton when suddenly the front door slammed open. He sputtered and gagged loudly, almost dropping the container as he coughed bitterly.

“Hey, Prince, you awake?!” He could hear Eging Jr. loudly exclaim, immediately followed by a harsh whisper from Emperor to “shut the hell up”. Prince quickly forced his proboscis and mandibles into his mouth, peeking his head around the corner.

“Oh, good morning, Prince. I’m sorry that  _ someone _ is loud early in the morning,” Emperor shot a pointed look at Eging, who laughed sheepishly and held his hands up in surrender.

Prince’s eyes darted around the room as he quickly wondered how he could talk without his mandibles poking out. He popped back into the kitchen wordlessly before responding with a cheerful, “It’s fine!”

“You don’t have to hide, Prince. It’s okay,” N-Pacer spoke up, and Prince could hear her walking into the kitchen. “Emperor explained things to us.”

“He-” Prince started before quickly putting a hand over his mouth. Even if his brother had explained things, it still would be better if they didn’t have to see his nasty bug mouth…

“It’s okay,” She firmly repeated, bringing up her hands to gently remove Prince’s from over his mouth. “Trust me.”

“Okay…” Prince said nervously, his mandibles protruding from his mouth as he talked. N-Pacer’s face barely changed as they appeared, which made Prince feel a little bit better. Eging poked his head into the kitchen and he made a small noise as he saw Prince before smiling again. Prince felt a bit awkward having so many people suddenly seeing his mandibles, and he toyed with one of his tentacles nervously.

“Is it too much?” Emperor asked, suddenly at Prince’s side.

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m just… nervous,” Prince said awkwardly, laughing softly in the back of his throat though it came out as more of a rattle.

“Are you sure? Don’t try to push yourself too hard,” Emperor insisted, looking worried.

“I’m fine, I promise. I’ll let you know,” Prince reiterated, trying to smile but it was lopsided and it didn’t meet his eyes. Emperor didn’t look satisfied but he let the topic drop.

“So, uh, did we wake ya?” Eging asked, hands behind his head.

“No, but I did just wake up. I got too hungry to sleep anymore,” Prince responded, taking note of how Eging’s mouth twitched slightly at the response. Emperor shot an undecipherable look at the other male inkling, who made a small noise in reply.

“So, uh, Emp explained stuff to us. But I’m a little confused still, so uh, can I ask ya some stuff, Prince?” Eging asked with an awkward grin. It was a bit odd to see him scrambling to speak, considering how confident he normally was.

“Um, okay,” Prince blinked cluelessly.

“So… you’re a bug. Like, more than just an inkling with bug parts?”

“That’s right, this… this is kind of a facade. I don’t look like this anymore, but I want to try and cling to the body and identity that was taken from me, even if it’s kind of pretending to be something I’m not…”

“But you’re still Prince. You’re still  _ you _ .”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Then that’s not really pretending, then? You’re just making yourself look differently. Everyone does that to some degree. Yours is just more... drastic, I guess.”

“That doesn’t… sound like the same thing.”

“It’s as good of a comparison as I can make. C’mon, I’m bad at this. But you’re still Prince, y’know? And that’s what matters,” Eging said with finality.

“I don’t know if you understand just how different I look…” Prince mumbled, moving his front tentacle out of his face.

“Uh, you could show us? If you wanna,” Eging grinned encouragingly, and Prince was suddenly aware that Eging was trying just as hard as he was to reach out, if not more.

“If you’re alright with it… I mean, aren’t you, um, afraid of bugs, Eging?” Prince pressed his fingers together, taking in a breath and trying to calm his breathing.

“Yeah, but you’re you, and I ain’t afraid of you,” Eging insisted. “Might be a bit spooked, but I’ll get used to it. Best way to get over the shock is to see it, then, right?”

Prince awkwardly moved past his team and into the living room, where there was more space. “Um, I’m kind of big, so if you don’t mind…” He sheepishly laughed, hating the way it rattled in his throat unnaturally.

The others followed, Eging crouching on a side chair as N-Pacer and Emperor sat on the couch. Emperor gave Prince a small, reassuring smile. Prince tried to return it before taking in a breath and closing his eyes.  _ Emperor accepted you. You’ll be fine. Things are going to be fine… You can’t just hide this forever.  _ He thought to himself, trying to calm his breathing before forcing his body to transform.

Prince didn’t dare open his eyes, but he could hear Eging suck in a breath through his beak and N-Pacer shift on the couch. He hated the way his body felt so big and exposed, and he was scared to open his eyes and see his team’s reactions.

“Prince, can I touch your face? If that’s fine,” N-Pacer asked suddenly, and Prince could hear her stand up and take a step forward. Against his will, Prince peeked open one of his many eyes to see her reaction. Her normally stern features had softened some, and she looked almost concerned.

“Okay…” Prince mumbled softly, more of his eyes opening. He could see Eging out of the corner of one of his eyes and he was staring with his face reflecting a mixture of awe and shock. N-Pacer approached slowly, before reaching a hand out to gently place on the top of his head.

“Your skin is a lot tougher than I expected. You look like you would be soft, but instead you have an exoskeleton,” She stated simply, before turning to face Eging. “Come here. You’ll feel better if you come closer.”

“Sounds like a bad idea, but also you’re usually right,” Eging said, hopping off his chair and cautiously taking a step forward. “Hey, uh, Prince? I ain’t like… afraid of  _ you _ , but bugs kinda freak me out. Just not you specifically, y’know? You get me?”

“Yeah, I understand…” Prince mumbled, watching Eging as he finally crossed the floor to N-Pacer’s side. Eging took in a deep breath before reaching up a hand and cupping Prince’s large face in his hands.

“That’s… a really weird feeling, yeah,” Eging blinked, and some of the tension melted from his posture.

“Hey, guys,” Emperor suddenly called from the couch as he got up. “I know you’re having a fun time petting my younger brother’s face, but let’s actually go shopping. Prince needs a phone, I can’t just keep leaving notes for him when I go out of the house.” The trio looked over as Emperor started adjusting his tentacles and changing shoes.

“That’s a good idea,” N-Pacer followed. “But can we maybe stop by my house so I can get something to change into? I don’t want to wear a tracksuit into like, Makomart.”

“Some of your clothes are still here, you know. You can get changed here,” Emperor said. “Eging, I also have a ton of your clothes here because you literally just leave everything here all the time.”

“For situations like these,” Eging grinned, moving his hands off Prince’s face and linking his arms behind his head.

“Whatever,” Emperor sneered but it lacked any bite. N-Pacer left to get changed and cleaned up. Prince quickly changed back to his inkling form, awkwardly looking around and wringing his hands.

“You good, Prince?” Eging asked, stripping out of his top as Emperor scolded him for tossing his hoodie onto the floor.

“Y- yeah, I’m fine,” The spiderling laughed nervously. “I’m going to get something to drink before we go.” He quickly excused himself into the kitchen and reopened the fridge.

“You’re pushing yourself, and that can be a good thing, but it’s okay to take breaks too, you know,” Emperor was suddenly at his side, offering Prince a can of apple-flavored soda. Prince would have to ask him one of these days how he managed to keep doing that.

“I know, but I feel like if I don’t push myself really hard, I won’t get any better,” Prince responded as he cracked open the can.

“I just worry for you. You’ve taken a lot of steps in a short amount of time,” Emperor stressed.

“Isn’t that progress?”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to burn yourself out. You’re really quick to get fatigued.”

“Yeah, I… I’ll try to tell you if I’m tired. Okay?”

“And you’re sure you want to come with us to the store? I mainly was just trying to diffuse that awkward situation.”

“Yeah, no, I’m okay. I can come with,” Prince said before quietly moving his mask to stick his proboscis into the opening in the soda can. Emperor gave Prince a look at the statement, but otherwise said nothing.

“Hey, you all ready to go?” N-Pacer walked into the kitchen, tying up her tentacles back into their usual bun.

“If Eging will get his ass over here,” Emperor said simply, earning a loud call of “I’m coming!” from Eging in the other room. Eging led them out to his car, pulling out and heading onto the road.

Prince hadn’t been to Makomart in years. He couldn’t remember how it looked, other than that it was huge and sold just about anything you could think of at cheap prices. Prince remembered Emperor taking him there occasionally to get groceries together when he was young and their father had fallen too ill to do it by himself. The team walked in as a group but once they got inside, they all split up. Eging went off to go and get some snacks, while N-Pacer informed the others she had to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy section. That left Emperor and Prince alone to head to the electronics section together.

“Anything in mind on what you’d want?” Emperor asked idly as they walked together.

“Whatever you suggest, I don’t know much in the way of what models are best…” Prince trailed off, sticking close as he looked around. He was hungry, but all this food he wouldn’t be able to eat…

“I’ll keep it in mind. You should pick out a phone case, though,” Emperor offered him a small smile, and Prince snapped back to attention at the sight to return a smile of his own.

“I hope there’s cute ones… my old phone had a pink cat that was really nice,” Prince hummed softly in the back of his throat, though it rattled hollowly.

“If there isn’t, I’ll order something off E-Bay for you,” Emperor mused, stopping as they reached a phone display. “Go ahead and go look, I’ll find you when I get it straightened out.”

Prince headed off to check out the phone cases, sort of in a daze as he looked over each on the racks. Eventually, he moved to look on a different aisle, and bumped directly into another inkling. Prince instantly started to apologize before pausing as a familiar scent filled his nose.

“You’re…” Prince looked up at the taller inkling, recognition dawning on his face. He had stern features, purple tentacles tied in a ponytail, and a bandana tied around his mouth that had a skull print. Prince knew he looked familiar and he has seen him somewhere a long time ago, but what was more telling was his scent. The unmistakable mark of a fellow spiderling.

“Oh, hello. You were in the nursery, weren’t you? I think I saw you a few times,” The inkling spoke with a low and quiet voice. Prince felt a burst of energy surge through his veins at the recognition, and he chirped in reply.

“And you were one of the front liners of the swarm, weren’t you? I remember seeing you, too. It’s been a while,” Prince agreed, before his inkling brain finally caught up with his spiderling instincts. “Wait, you’re Skull of the S4! We’ve battled before!”

“Have we?” Skull blinked, tilting his head and seeming to think about it. “Oh, hey, you’re right. You were on Emperor’s team. You guys were strong, but it feels like such a long time ago… Wait, no, that’s because it was a long time ago. What’s your name again? I’m sorry, I have trouble remembering a lot of things…”

“No, no, it’s okay! It was a long time ago. And my name is Prince,” Prince said, wondering just how this guy managed to become one of the best snipers in turf history. “What are you doing here?”

“I lost my phone case and Aloha wouldn’t leave me alone until I got a new one,” Skull said, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t really know what to pick, though… None of these really suit me.”

“How… how did you lose the phone case but not the phone…?” Prince asked incredulously.

“I dropped it off Deca Tower and the case popped off. I couldn’t find it,” Skull stated simply.

“Why were you on Deca Tower?!” Prince exclaimed in shock.

“It’s a long story,” Skull shrugged. “I could tell it to you over lunch if you want. I was going to go out after this.”

“Oh, I’m here with my team, I don’t think I could…” Prince pressed his fingers together awkwardly before startling as Emperor placed a hand on his shoulder out of nowhere.

“Hey, I just got your phone set up so you could go with him if you want to,” Emperor said, and Prince squawked at him.

“How do you keep doing that?! Give me some warning! You keep just,” Prince made an incomprehensible gesture with his hands. “You keep appearing! Without making a sound! How do you do that?!”

“Years of practice,” Emperor replied with a slight smirk. “Now, here. I went ahead and put all our numbers in and added you to the group chat. We can come back and look for a case or order something off an online store.”

“It’s been a long time,” Skull waved lazily to Emperor. “Hope you don’t mind me stealing your brother for a bit.”

“No, it’s alright,” Emperor waved back, amused.

“You sure, Emp?” Prince blinked up at him. “Will the others be okay if I leave?”

“They’re fine, I’ll explain to them. Go have fun,” Emperor chuckled, already walking off. “I’ll see you later.” Prince waved after him before turning back to his fellow spiderling.

“So, there’s a nice smoothie bar nearby,” Skull started, starting to walk off already. Prince hurried to catch up with him, clutching his new phone to his chest.

“Oh? That sounds nice,” Prince blinked. “Well, considering we can eat it and all.”

“Have you not been eating?” Skull gave him a look, and if he had eyebrows they would have been furrowed.

“Not… exactly,” Prince admitted, sucking air through his beak uncomfortably as he averted his eyes. “I’ve been drinking, but I haven’t exactly had anything I can eat…”

“Alright, yeah, we’re going to have to talk about that,” Skull mumbled, leading Prince out of the store and to his car. It was a beat-up purple pickup truck and you could clearly tell he had used multiple cans of spray-paint on it. At least one of the cans he had used was not the same color as the rest of the car and there was a darker purple splotch near the back of the truck.

“That’s… well, it’s something, alright,” Prince balked at the sight, also noticing that Skull had a bumper sticker that said “HUSBAND OF 3”.

“Isn’t it?” Skull said simply, unlocking the car and holding the door out for Prince. The inside was surprisingly neat, with soft seat covers that Skull likely didn’t pick out himself. He revved it up and they pulled out, and Prince idly stared out the window as they drove. They eventually reached a small store with soft lime painted awnings and accents, with a sign that had a spider crab wrapped around a smoothie cup. Prince thought that was definitely a good front, because he could tell their primary customers were not crabs. Instead, the whole place smelled like spiderlings.

“Is this new?” Prince asked quietly as he hopped out of the truck. “How long has this been here?”

“Less than a month, apparently,” Skull replied. “It’s a nice place to hang out, and the drinks are cheap. They sell a variety of stuff specifically for spiderlings.”

“How’d you find out about it?” Prince held open the door for Skull as they walked in.

“Aloha apparently knows all the hottest places in town, and Straw tipped him off about it. Forge actually opened it and Army knew about it, but he didn’t know it was for spiderlings until Straw told Aloha,” Skull explained, leading Prince to a cheerfully painted juice bar. The place was painted in various shades of lime green, orange, and yellow. It looked honestly like a citrus explosion.

“So Forge and Straw are spiderlings, too?” Prince took a seat, humming softly as he took in the sights.

“That’s right,” Skull nodded before waving over Forge who wasn’t in her namesake jacket, but she still wore her beret.

“Heya, welcome to Spider Crab Smoothie House,” She said cheerfully, propping her head on her elbow. “I see you brought in someone new today, Skull.”

“Yeah, he hasn’t been eating recently and I owe him a story,” Skull bluntly replied. Forge just laughed.

“Well, that’s fine. What’s your name, hm? I recognize you from your scent, but I’d like to know you on a name basis,” Forge asked, turning to face Prince.

“Oh! Um, I’m Prince. It’s nice meet you,” Prince said, holding out his hand to shake. Forge took it, her grip firm.

“You too. I’m Forge, and I run the place. Since our only patrons at the moment are spiderlings like us, I can drop the front for a bit,” She leaned over the counter slightly. “I made this place for our kind. There’s not many places for us to really converge, y’know? Still living in secret and all. I’m hoping it’ll be somewhere to get resources and help for us, especially the ones who have yet to integrate.”

“That’s so cool! I think it’ll be a hit. I know there were a lot of us, though I haven’t exactly been out and I haven’t seen how many have come to Inkopolis…” Prince trailed off. “But I’m glad something like this exists.”

“See, that’s what I’m hoping for! I want to make sure everyone can get back on their feet. Now, enough talk, let’s get you something to eat. Here’s our special menu,” Forge hummed in the back of her throat as she handed over a menu to Prince. On it were normal drinks you’d expect to find in typical smoothie bars, but near the bottom the list suddenly changed to include more specialized foods for spiderlings, such as liquified common food and different drinks containing Royal Jelly or other spiderling products. Prince felt his mouth watering as he read over the menu.

“Oh, wow, this is really cool. You have so many options!” Prince laughed sheepishly. “I don’t know which to pick!”

“I’ll pay for whatever you pick, since I invited you out,” Skull said, waving off Forge’s inquisition to if he would like a menu. “I’ll just get what I usually get.”

“What do you usually get?” Prince asked.

“He always gets honey, butterscotch, and Royal Jelly. He’s got a real big sweet tooth,” Forge laughed over her shoulder as she set to making his drink.

“Oh god, I can feel cavities forming just from hearing the ingredients,” Prince snickered. “I didn’t take you to be big on sweets, Skull.”

“Oh, man, he’s the worst. He can eat like an entire bag of sugar, if you let him,” Forge snorted as she slid Skull his drink.

“That one time doesn’t count, because it was in a milkshake,” Skull muttered, and Prince couldn’t help but laugh along with Forge. A few of the other patrons seemed amused as well.

“Alright, alright, anyways, you ready to order, Prince?” Forge asked, arms on the counter as she leaned over.

“Um, this one, please?” Prince pointed to a drink containing Royal Jelly, orange, and blue raspberry flavors.

“I see you like fruit,” Forge said as she took up his menu and placed it in a stack.

“Yeah! I’m glad I can still at least drink fruit juice,” Prince chirped back, pleased when he heard a low trill from Forge in response.

“Same, I’m so glad I can still drink Octoglasses’s famous fruit punch. You’ll have to swing by when she’s here to try some! It’s to  _ die _ for,” Forge said enthusiastically.

“To die for?” Prince cocked an eyebrow.

“A figure of speech! It’s been a hard habit to break, even now,” Forge shrugged.

“Sorry, sorry. You can just never be too careful, even now that things have gone back to mostly normal,” Prince laughed sheepishly.

“No, don’t worry, I got you,” She responded, sliding Prince his drink. Prince thanked her before poking the straw under his face mask and taking a sip. His eyes instantly lit up as the fruity, sweet juice filled his mouth.

“This is great! You’re really talented, Forge!” Prince exclaimed, causing the other spiderling to blush sheepishly.

“Aw, stop it. I’m nowhere near as good as Straw and Octoglasses, but I try,” Forge said bashfully.

“You talk a lot about those two,” Prince remarked, taking another sip of his drink as he almost melted at how good it tasted. He hadn’t had Royal Jelly in forever, and he definitely missed the sweetness.

“They’re in a relationship,” Skull remarked, having already finished his drink.

“They’re the loves of my life!” Forge exclaimed passionately, hands cupping her cheeks as she looked lost in thought.

“I’m happy for you!” Prince laughed happily. “How did you meet?”

“Well, we’ve known each other for ages, but we only got into a relationship recently,” Forge snapped from her daydreaming to respond. “We all go to the same support group. Skull, too.”

“Support group?” Prince asked, playing with his straw.

“A group designed to help spiderlings integrate or re-integrate back into Inkopolis,” Skull responded. “For us who were inklings before, it’s to help us learn how to cope with our new bodies.”

“But it’s also for the new spiderlings to learn how to fit into society,” Forge said. “You should come! It’s really nice, everyone is really helpful. It’s also where I ended up confessing to my girlfriends…”

“I- I might… honestly, I do need some help coming back to live in Inkopolis after so long,” Prince admitted.

Skull hummed softly as he passed Prince a small card that was sitting nearby in a holder on the counter. The group was called the “Spider Crab Support Club”. Prince was starting to see a pattern in how things were being coded for his kind.

Prince smiled to himself. Things were starting to actually feel like he could regain control of his life and really start  _ living _ again.


End file.
